Thread: Hubble
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Old 05-15-2009, 07:59 AM   #32
glatt
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Arlington, VA
Posts: 27,717
There was a good article in the Post this morning about it. They were using a kind of torque wrench that was set up to not exert too much force on the bolts so they wouldn't get sheared off. The bolt wasn't budging at that torque setting. So they somehow adjusted it to get rid of the torque setting and applied more force to the bolt with the same wrench, finally getting it out without stripping it. Apparently the bolt was so deep in the camera housing that you couldn't see it. They had a long extended bit that could reach way back in there and engage the bolt. If they hadn't been able to get that bolt out, the entire mission would pretty much be for nothing. Half a billion dollars down the drain.

Article here.
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